Video games on demand with anti-piracy security

Abstract

Systems, methods and computer-readable media are described for the automated payment, download over a network, installation on a set-top box, and play of console and online video games by user interaction with a controller-adapted set-top box. Security measures inhibit video game piracy.

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE[0001]The present disclosure relates to telecommunications networks and in particular to systems, methods and machine-readable media for the delivery of video games over a network to a television set-top box, installation of the game on the set-top box, and play of the installed game through the set-top box.BACKGROUND[0002]The television set-top box (STB) and its associated remote control allow a television viewer to interact with the television set. For example, the viewer may use the STB remote control device to have the television display a guide that shows the schedule of television shows available for viewing. Another example of interactivity, for STBs that provide video recording functions, is to interact with the on-screen guide to schedule the recording of television programs and to view the recorded programs at a time convenient to the viewer. STB interactivity is facilitated by the fact that STBs, which are associated with cable or satellite televisi...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Similar complexity is found in online role-playing games.

Even so, there may be glitches in the game experience due to network delays.

Existing Game on Demand server systems, however, do not download the game for installation on the subscriber's set-top box.

Accordingly, Game on Demand server systems consume broadband bandwidth during the entire play session.

A Gaming on Demand system of the present disclosure, however, consumes bandwidth mainly only during the time it takes to download the game software to a subscriber's STB.

Furthermore, Game on Demand server systems typically provide game control via an STB remote control, keyboard or USB game pad, but do not contemplate the use of standard console game controllers by means of a controller-adapted STB.

Since the STB / gaming console cannot access or “see” the internet, the customer cannot push the content to the internet.

In either case, the game cannot be played without authorization from the gaming-on-demand server.

Advantageously, if the STB is disconnected from the network, the customer cannot authenticate and thus cannot play a game.

Additionally, the customer does not benefit from transferring a game file from one STB to a second STB.

Generally, such transfer would not be possible, but which, nevertheless might occur if the customer found a software-hacking back door to accomplish the transfer.

When the customer tries to play the game on the second STB, however, the second STB requests authentication from the gaming-on-demand server and such authorization is denied due to failure of STB authentication.

Images